This invention relates to a polygonal paperboard container, especially a polygonal drum suitable for holding relatively heavy quantities of materials, such as granular materials and the like. This invention particularly relates to a polygonal drum which has reinforced side walls and which can be erected from a collapsed drum envelope in a simple and expeditious manner. This invention quite particularly relates to a polygonal drum formed from a one-piece body member and a one-piece reinforcing member.
Polygonal paperboard containers formed from one-piece body members, having integral side wall panels and bottom panels, are known in the prior art. See, for example, the containers shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,971,863, 2,808,193, 2,922,562, 2,965,280, 3,101,167 and 3,873,017. Certain of such polygonal containers have been adapted to be manufactured in a preassembled form as substantially flat or collapsed envelopes, from which the containers subsequently can be erected. See, for example, the containers in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,971,863, 2,922,562, 3,101,167 and 3,873,017. Some of these polygonal containers also have been provided with side walls that are reinforced by additional layers of paperboard. See, for example, the containers in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,971,863 and 3,873,017.
However, such polygonal paperboard containers, formed from one-piece body members, having reinforced side walls, and adapted to be erected from collapsed envelopes, generally have been rather difficult to produce in quantity, particularly when such containers have been designed as drums for holding relatively heavy quantities of materials. This is because the production of such polygonal containers typically has involved the relatively complicated and time-consuming steps of: overlapping numerous portions of their body members, particularly portions of their side wall panels; and then, securely bonding together such overlapped portions. Unfortunately, such overlapping of a significant number of portions of body members, particularly portions of side wall panels, and such subsequent bonding together of overlapped portions have been necessary steps in constructing many containers. Moreover, in some containers, such steps have been considered desirable in order to insure that the containers, so formed, are sufficiently strong for their intended purposes. Nevertheless, such overlapping and bonding operations have been quite expensive in terms of the time and effort needed to perform them. Also, when such steps have not been carried out properly, the containers formed have been prone to fail about their improperly overlapped and bonded together portions.
Thus, means have been sought for providing a polygonal container, particularly a drum for heavy quantities of materials, which is formed from a one-piece body member, has reinforced side walls, and is adapted to be erected from a collapsed envelope but which does not include numerous overlapped and adhesively bonded-together portions of its body member, particularly its side wall panels.